Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 July 2024 | 16(7): 25577–25583

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8523.16.7.25577-25583

#8523 | Received 13 May 2023 | Final received 30 September 2023 | Finally accepted 16 January 2024

 

 

Diversity of bird species in Ebpanan Marsh, Maguindanao del Norte, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Philippines

 

Gindol Rey A. Limbaro 1, Benito Anthony A. Pingoy 2  & Peter Jan D. de Vera 3

 

1 Forestry Department, College of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Mindanao State University-Maguindanao, Dalican, Datu Odin Sinsuat, 9601 Maguindanao del Norte, BARMM, Philippines.

2 Department of Biology, Davao Medical School Foundation, Davao City, 8000 Davao del Sur, Philippines.

3 Natural Sciences Department, College of Arts and Sciences, Mindanao State University-Maguindanao, Dalican, Datu Odin Sinsuat, 9601 Maguindanao del Norte, BARMM, Philippines.

1 galimbaro@msumaguindanao.edu.ph, 2 bapingoy@email.dmsf.edu.ph, 3 peterjandevera0302@gmail.com (corresponding author)

 

 

Editor: H. Byju, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.                  Date of publication: 26 July 2024 (online & print)

 

Citation: Limbaro, G.R.A., B.A.A. Pingoy & P.J.D. de Vera (2024). Diversity of bird species in Ebpanan Marsh, Maguindanao del Norte, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Philippines. Journal of Threatened Taxa 16(7): 25577–25583. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8523.16.7.25577-25583

  

Copyright: © Limbaro et al. 2024. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

 

Funding: None.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Author details: Gindol Rey A. Limbaro is a licensed forester and a college instructor from Southern Mindanao Island, Philippines. His studies primarily focus on dendrology and conservation biology. Benito Anthony T. Pingoy is a college instructor at Davao Medical School Foundation. He is a bird enthusiast and a wildlife

photographer. His research is focused on bird and ecosystem conservation. Peter Jan D. De Vera is a college instructor and an early career researcher from Maguindanao del Norte, Philippines. His research interests are on environment and wildlife conservation.

 

Author contributions: GRAL—paper conceptualization, data collection, writing and editing the manuscript. BATP—data collection and writing the manuscript. PJDDV—research design, paper conceptualization, data collection, writing and editing the manuscript, and corresponding journal submission.

 

Acknowledgements: The authors would like to extend their gratitude to the local officials and residents for assisting us during the conduct of the rapid bird survey in the area.

 

 

 

Abstract: Wetland areas such as the marsh provide vital habitats for birds. However, marshes in the Philippines have been threatened by anthropogenic disturbances and may be further degraded. This study conducted a rapid bird assessment in Ebpanan Marsh located in Maguidanao del Norte within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on 06–12 March 2022. A total of 36 bird species belonging to 24 families were recorded during the rapid assessment. Among the bird species recorded, two species— Anas luzonica and Streptopelia dusumieri are considered as Vulnerable, while Padda oryzivora is considered ‘Endangered’ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Eight of the bird species recorded are endemic and are observed in the remaining freshwater swamp forest of the Ebpanan Marsh. Despite habitat degradation and anthropogenic disturbance, the Ebpanan Marsh can still accommodate threatened and endemic bird species. Increasing the number of observation sites and extending the sampling duration of bird assessment will be required in order to complete the list of birds on the Marsh and understand the spatial and temporal variation in bird populations in the area.

 

Keywords: Anthropogenic disturbance, conservation assessment, endemic birds, freshwater swamp forest, habitat degradation, rapid assessment, species richness, threatened bird species, wetland conservation.

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A wetland is an area of land that is either covered by water or saturated with water (PAWB-DENR 2013). These areas are varied and include lakes, rivers, marshes, swamps, and reservoirs (Lopez-Calderon & Riosmena-Rodriguez 2016). The Philippines has about 216 lakes, 421 principal rivers, and 22 marshes, swamps, and reservoirs (Scott 1989). Several studies have been conducted highlighting the importance of wetland areas in the country in providing refuges for birds (van Weerd & van der Ploeg 2004; Villamor 2006;  Lador & Seronay 2020). These ecosystems provide critical habitats for a wide range of bird species. However, wetland areas in the country, such as marshes, are considered to be one of the threatened ecosystems as the result of changes in land use, pollution, and climate change (Sespeñe et al. 2016). Marsh, a wetland ecosystem mostly dominated by grasses (Keddy 2010), provides a habitat for a rich diversity of flora and fauna, especially birds (Raj et al. 2010; Mohan et al. 2023).

Currently, in the Mindanao Island of the Philippines, there are around 455 species of birds documented of which 49 are globally threatened and 39 are endemic (Avibase 2023). The diversity of bird species has been noted to be a good bio-indicator of ecosystems (Datta 2011; Roshnath & Shruthi 2015), especially in wetland areas (Khadka et al. 2017; Studholme et al. 2022). However, in the Philippines’ wetland areas, the diversity of birds is declining due mostly to anthropogenic pressures particularly the conversion of wetland areas for agricultural purposes (Haribon Foundation 2014). 

Ebpanan marsh is a wetland area that stretches along different municipalities in Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindano del Sur provinces, and is part of the largest marsh in the country by area, the Ligawasan marsh. The Ligawasan marsh has been considered an Important Bird Area (IBA) and key biodiversity site and this warrants the need to for  regular monitoring and updates of the bird composition in the area (Donald et al. 2018). This study provides a list of bird species recorded during the rapid bird assessment conducted in one of the conglomerates of the Ligawasan Marsh, the Ebpanan Marsh located within the Kabuntalan municipality, Maguindanao del Norte. Data from this study may contribute to the knowledge of the current list of birds in Ebpanan Marsh and is possibly the first published report of birds in the area. Government agencies, private stakeholders, and local communities may benefit from this study as this may serve as the basis for crafting conservation and protection policies for Ebpanan Marsh.

 

METHODS

 

Study area

The localized rapid bird assessment was conducted in the Ebpanan marsh (7.1451, 124.3391) that is located in Barangay Lower Taviran, Kabuntalan, Maguindanao del Norte, BARMM. The surveyed area for rapid bird assessment was approximately 64.23 hectares and is at least 5 km away from the national road. The marsh is one of three marshes, including the Ebpanan Marsh, Libungan Marsh, and Ligawasan Marsh proper, that collectively form the Ligawasan Marsh, one of the largest wetland areas in the Philippines. The southern to the western portion of the marsh is surrounded by concrete roads and residential areas, making the area easily accessible. The northern portion of the marsh is bordered by the Libungan Marsh while the lower eastern portion is bordered by the Ligawasan Marsh proper. Perennial agroforestry plants such as coconut Cocos nucifera, mango Mangifera indica and cashew Anacardium occidentale are common within the residential areas of the marsh. The study area also included marsh habitats, such as freshwater swamp forests and herbaceous swamp habitats. The presence of Terminalia catappa ‘Talisay’, Terminalia copelandii ‘Lanipau’, Antidesma ghaesembilla ‘Binayuyo’, and Pterocarpus indicus ‘Narra’ was common in the freshwater swamp forest while Water Hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes, Water Lettuce Pistia stratioides, and Duckweed Lemna pauciflora were present in the herbaceous swamp habitat. Most of the residents along the Ebpanan marsh depend heavily on its aquatic resources for food and as a source of income, evidenced by the presence of fish pens and nets. Furthermore, when the dry season arrives and floodwater recedes, certain swamp areas are utilized for cultivating watermelon Citrullus lanatus providing the residents with an alternative source of income.

 

Bird Sampling Technique

Localized rapid bird assessment was conducted between 06–12 March 2022 through the ‘look and see’, point count, and oppurtunistic listing methods in the Ebpanan marsh located in Barangay Lower Taviran, Kabuntalan municipality, Maguindanao del Norte. Field reconnaissance was conducted to explore the area and to establish the observation sites. Observation sites were established based on accessibility and safety. 10 strategic observation sites were established in the study area (5 in freshwater swamp forest, and 5 in herbaceous swamp habitat). Observation of birds was done from 0600–0900 h and 1500–1730 h by three field observers. Bird documentation was carried out using field notebooks, binoculars, and a DSLR camera. Identification of birds and their respective spatial distribution and habitat range used different available reference materials such as ‘Birds of the Philippines’ (Allen 2020), eBird (2023), and Birdlife International (2023). The weather was generally sunny during the rapid bird assessment.

 

 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

 

Thirty-six species of birds belonging to 24 families were documented during the rapid bird assessment conducted in the Ebpanan Marsh (Table 1). Among the documented species, Ardeidae was the most represented family with seven species. The results of this study show a similar trend in terms of bird species richness in Agusan Marsh (Ardeidae = 13 species) in which species belonging to this family are also abundant. Bird species from this family prefer still open water habitats (Choi et al. 2007) which is common in the marsh. Anecdotal reports mentioned that in some cases the residents of the Ebpanan Marsh hunt egrets for food. Although most of the species of the family Ardeidae are listed as of Least Concern, continuous hunting may threaten their population (Benitez-Lopez et al. 2017). On the other hand, 22% of the bird species documented in Ebpanan Marsh are classified as endemic. This number is low compared to Agusan Marsh (ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity 2023) thus increasing the number of bird surveys may significantly improve the list of birds in the marsh.

Among the 36 bird species recorded, two bird species—the Philippine duck Anas luzonica and the Philippine Collared Dove Streptopelia dusumieri—are considered ‘Vulnerable’ and Padda oryzivora as ‘Endangered’ as per the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Figure 2). The nearest sightings of A. luzonica from the Ebpanan Marsh are in Timaco Hill, Cotabato City (de Vera et al. 2023). Locals in the Ebpanan Marsh hunt and trap the A. luzonica along with the Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus for food, thus further making them vulnerable to population decline (BirdLife International 2023). The Philippine Collared Dove is classified as Vulnerable due to its rapid decrease in population in Luzon, Philippines mainly attributed to competition from the Red-collared Dove Streptopelia tranquebarica and Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis (BirdLife International 2023). Informing the locals of the status of A. luzonica and S. dusumieri, and establishing key protected areas, are actions that should prevent further population declines (Nori et al. 2020).

The introduced Java Sparrow Padda oryzivora was recorded during the rapid bird assessment in Ebpanan Marsh. A flock was recorded near the rice field within the study area. This bird species was considered to be a pest in rice crops. Eight out of the 36 recorded bird species in Ebpanan marsh were classified as endemic. Twenty-three of the 36 species were classified as a resident, four bird species were migrants, and one bird species as introduced (Figure 2). All endemic birds recorded in this study were observed in freshwater swamp forests. Despite the presence of residential areas and the conversion of some areas to agricultural land, the marsh can still harbor endemic bird species. Unfortunately, during the conduct of rapid bird assessment in the area, one G. chloropus was trapped and captured, however, this was later freed by local inhabitants. They also mentioned that, based on their observations, there was a decline in the number of bird species and their frequency in the Ebpanan Marsh, and they attributed this to climate change and bird hunting. Aside from bird hunting, another threat that the birds in Ebpanan Marsh are facing is the conversion of freshwater swamp forests into agricultural land. Thus, conservation measures, such as hunting regulations and identifying protected areas within the marsh, are recommended (Dudley 2008).

 

Management Recommendations

 

This study recorded a total of 36 bird species from the Ebpanan Marsh. Despite the area being degraded, it still harbors important endangered, vulnerable, and endemic bird species and this underlines the importance of the marsh as an important habitat for birds. Immediate conservation measures should be developed and implemented to prevent further degradation, particularly in the remaining freshwater swamp forest, where all the endemic bird species were recorded. Raising the awareness of the locals regarding the conservation status of the documented birds in the Ebpanan Marsh is deemed necessary to conserve the presence and population of the endangered, vulnerable, and endemic bird species in the area. The data presented in this study provides an indication of the total number of bird species in the Ebpanan Marsh. Therefore, it is recommended that the number of observation sites be increased and the sampling duration extended to permit a complete list of birds to be obtained and more fully understand the spatial and temporal variation of birds in the area.

 

Table 1. List of birds recorded at Ebpanan Marsh, Kabuntalan, Maguindanao del Norte, BARMM.

Family

Scientific name

Common name

Endemism*

Conservation status**

Accipitiridae

Elanus caerulus

Black-winged Kite

Resident

Least Concern

Haliastur indus

Brahminy Kite

Resident

Least Concern

Acrocephalidae

Acrocephalus stentoreus

Clamorous Reed Warbler

Resident

Least Concern

Alcedinidae

 

Alcedo atthis

Common Kingfisher

Migrant

Least Concern

Todiramphus chloris

Collared Kingfisher

Resident

Least Concern

Anatidae

Anas luzonica

Philippine Duck

Endemic

Vulnerable

Ardeidae

 

Ardea alba

Great White Egret

Resident

Least Concern

Ardea intermedia

Intermediate Egret

Resident

Least Concern

Ardea purpurea

Purple Heron

Resident

Least Concern

Ardeola speciosa

Javan Pond Heron

Resident

Least Concern

Bulbucus ibis

Cattle Egret

Resident

Least Concern

Butorides striatus

Green-backed Heron

Resident

Least Concern

Egretta garzetta

Little Egret

Resident

Least Concern

Artamidae

Artamus leucorynchus

White-breasted Woodswallow

Resident

Least Concern

Columbidae

 

Geopelia striata

Zebra Dove

Resident

Least Concern

Streptopelia dusumieri

Philippine Collared Dove

Endemic

Vulnerable

Cuculidae

Centropus viridis

Philippine Coucal

Endemic

Least Concern

Eudynamis scolopaceus

Asian Koel

Resident

Least Concern

Dicaeidae

Dicaeum austral

Red-keeled Flowerpecker

Endemic

Least Concern

Estrildidae

 

Lonchura atricapilla

Chestnut Munia

Resident

Least Concern

Padda oryzivora

Java Sparrow

Introduced

Endangered

Laniidae

Lanius cristatus

Brown Shrike

Migrant

Least Concern

Laridae

Gelochelidon nilotica

Gull-billed Tern

Resident

Least Concern

Locustellidae

Megalurus palustris

Striated Grassbird

Resident

Least Concern

Nectariniidae

Cinnyris jugularis

Olive-backed Sunbird

Resident

Least Concern

Oriolidae

Oriolus chinensis

Black-naped Oriole

Resident

Least Concern

Passeriformes

Passer montanus

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Resident

Least Concern

Psittacidae

Bolbopsittacus lunulatus

Guaiabero

Endemic

Least Concern

Psittaculidae

Loriculus philippensis

Philippine Hanging Parrot/Colasisi

Endemic

Least Concern

Pycnonotidae

Hypsipetes phillipinus

Philippine Bulbul

Endemic

Least Concern

Rallidae

Gallinula chloropus

Common Moorhen

Resident

Least Concern

Amauronis cinerea

White-browed Crake

Resident

Least Concern

Recurvirostridae

Himantopus himantopus

Black-winged Stilt

Migrant

Least Concern

Rhipiduridae

Rhipidura nigritorquis

Philippine Pied- Fantail

Endemic

Least Concern

Scolopacidae

Gallinago gallinago

Common Snipe

Migrant

Least Concern

Sturnidae

Aplonis panayensis

Asian Glossy Starling

Resident

Least Concern

*—eBird Cornell Laboratory for Ornithology (2023) | **—IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2023).

For figures & images - - click here for full PDF

 

References

 

Allen, D. (2020). Birds of the Philippines. Lynx Editions, Barcelona, 400 pp.

ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (2023).  Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary. https://asean.chm-cbd.net/agusan-marsh-wildlife-sanctuary

Avibase (2023). The World Bird Database. https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/avibase.jsp. Electronic version accessed 15 April 2023.

Benitez-Lopez, A., R. Alkemade, A.M. Schipper, D.J. Ingram, P.A. Verweij, J.A.J. Eikelboom & M.A.J. Huijbregts (2017). The impact of hunting on tropical mammal and bird populations. Science 356(6334): 180–183. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaj1891

BirdLife International (2023). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Philippines. Downloaded on 01 May 2023

Choi, Y.S., I.K. Kwon & J.C. Yoo (2007). Foraging habitat preferences of herons and egrets. Journal of Ecology and Field Biology 30(3): 237–244. 

Datta, T (2011). Human interference and avifaunal diversity of two wetlands of Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 3(12): 2253–2262. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o2739.2253-62

De Vera, P.J.D., J.P.C. Catipay, M.D.T. Tagoon, E.M. Delima-Baron & A.B. Pingoy (2023).  Avian sanctuary within the city in Timaco Hill, Cotabato City, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Mindanao Island, Philippines. Biodiversitas 24(2): 1004–1009. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d240240

Department of Environment and Natural Resources [DENR] (2004). The Wetland Component for Ligawasan Marsh Project. A Project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) supported with a grant from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and the World Bank, with supervision of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). December 2004, v + 63 pp. https://faspselib.denr.gov.ph/sites/default/files//Publication%20Files/Volume%20III%20-%20Project%20Brief.pdf

Donald, P.F., L.D. Fishpool, A. Ajabge, L.A. Bennun, G. Bunting, I. Burfield, S.M. Butchart, S. Capellan, M.J. Crosby, M.P. Dias, D. Diaz, M.I. Evans, R. Grimmet, M. Heath, V.R. Jones, B. G. Lascelles, J.C. Merriman, M. O’brien, I. Ramirez, Z. Waliczky & D.C. Wege (2018). Important bird and biodiversity areas (IBAs): the development and characteristics of a global inventory of key sites for biodiversity. Bird Conservation International 29(2): 177–98. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270918000102

Dudley, N. (Ed.) (2008). Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, x + 86 pp.

eBird (2023). Cornell Lab of Ornithology. http://www.ebird.org. Accessed on 01 May 2023.

Haribon Foundation (2014). The State of the Philippine Birds. Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources Inc. Quezon City, Philippines., 45 pp.  

Khadka, B.B., P.M. Acharya & S.L. Rajbhandari (2017). Population status and species diversity of wetland birds in the Rapti and Narayan rivers and associated wetlands of Chitwan National Park, Nepal. Journal of Threatened Taxa 9(6): 10297–10306. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2364.9.6.10297-10306

Keddy, P.A. (2010). Wetland Ecology: principles and conservation. 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 497 pp.

Lador, R.P. & R.A. Seronay (2020). Avifaunal diversity of Lake Mainit watershed, Caraga region, Philippines. Journal of Ecosystem Sciences and Eco-Governance 2(1): 13–24.

Lopez-Calderon, J.M. & R. Riosmena-Rodriguez (2016). Wetlands, pp.738–741. In: Kennish, M.J. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Estuaries. Springer, Dordrecht, 760 pp. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4

Mohan, S.K., R. Anjitha & K.M. Rodrigues (2023). The avian diversity of Chemmattamvayal wetlands and adjacent areas of Kasaragod district, Kerala, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 15(4): 23047–23060. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5246.15.4.23047-23060

Nori, J., R. Loyola & F. Villalobos (2020). Priority areas for conservation of and research focused on terrestrial vertebrates. Conservation Biology 34(5): 1281–1291. https://doi.org/ 10.1111/cobi.13476

PAWB-DENR (2013). The National Wetlands Action Plan for the Philippines 2011–2016.  Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau-Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Raj, P.P.N., J. Ranjini, R. Dhanya, J. Subramanian, P.A. Azeez & S. Bhupathy (2010). Consolidated checklist of birds in the Pallikarani wetlands, Chennai, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 2(8): 1114–1118. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o2220.1114-8

Roshnath, R. & V. Shruthi (2015). Habitat utilization by wetland birds of Munderikadavu, a proposed bird sanctuary in northern Kerala, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(12): 7870–7878. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3999.7870-8

Scott, D.A. (ed.) (1989). A Directory of Asian Wetlands. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, United Kingdom, xiv + 1189 pp.

Senarillos, T.L.P., K.M.F. Pitogo & J.C. Ibañez (2020). Bird observations in the Busa Mountain Range, Sarangani Province, Philippines. Philippine Journal for Science 150(S1): 347–362. https://doi.org/10.56899/150.S1.25

Sespeñe, S. M. Maniquiz-Redillas, M. Kim, L.H. & Y. Choo (2016). Characteristics, threats, and management of Philippine wetlands. Journal of Wetland Research 18(3): 250–261. https://doi.org/10.17663/JWR.2016.18.3.250

Studholme, K.R., L.M. Tranquilla, L.E. Berrigan, L.M. Achenbach & D.C. Tozer (2022). Land cover habitat associations of breeding marsh birds and priority waterfowl differ in eastern Canada. Avian Conservation and Ecology 17(1): 33. https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-02110-170133

van Weerd, M. & J. van der Ploeg (2004). Surveys of wetlands and waterbirds in the Cagayan Valley, Luzon, Philippines. Folktail 20(2004): 33–39.

Villamor, G.B. (2006). A survey and study on food habits of migratory waterbirds along Naujan Lake, Oriental Mindoro Province, Philippines. Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation 2(1): 1–8. https://doi.org/10.51200/jtbc.v1i2.81